Abstract
Mirrored-self misidentification is the delusional belief that one's own reflection in the mirror is a stranger. Current theories suggest that this delusion can occur when two factors are present: a deficit in face processing which is responsible for the content of the delusion (Factor 1) and a deficit in belief evaluation which accounts for the failure to reject the delusional belief (Factor 2). Previous research has used hypnosis to model this delusion. This research has found that a suggestion in hypnosis either to see a stranger in the mirror (a fully-formed suggestion) or to not recognise the person in the mirror (a suggestion for Factor 1 alone) can produce a hypnotic delusion with features strikingly similar to the clinical condition. The present study sought to directly compare these two approaches to see which best approximated the clinical condition. Fifty-two high hypnotisable participants received a hypnotic suggestion to either see a stranger in the mirror (fully-formed) or to not recognise the person in the mirror (Factor 1 alone). Half of the participants received the suggestion while hypnotised and the other half received the suggestion in their normal waking state. Following the suggestion, participants were asked to look into a mirror and to describe what they could see. Participants who reported seeing someone other than themselves were then given a series of clinically inspired challenges to determine the resilience of their delusion. Results support the idea that both types of hypnotic suggestion can produce a highly compelling mirrored-self misidentification delusion which is resistant to challenge. In particular, results suggest that the Factor 1 suggestion in hypnosis is especially effective at producing the delusion and that the additional information contained in the fully-formed suggestion is unnecessary. Results are discussed in terms of the two-factor theory of delusions.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | ASCS09 |
Subtitle of host publication | proceedings of the 9th conference of the Australasian Society for Cognitive Science |
Editors | Wayne Christensen, Elizabeth Schier, John Sutton |
Place of Publication | North Ryde, NSW |
Publisher | Macquarie Centre for Cognitive Science |
Pages | 61-66 |
Number of pages | 6 |
ISBN (Print) | 9780646529189 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2010 |
Event | Conference of the Australasian Society for Cognitive Science (9th : 2009) - Sydney Duration: 30 Sept 2009 → 2 Oct 2009 |
Conference
Conference | Conference of the Australasian Society for Cognitive Science (9th : 2009) |
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City | Sydney |
Period | 30/09/09 → 2/10/09 |
Bibliographical note
Copyright 2009 by the Australasian Society for Cognitive Science. Publisher version archived with the permission of the Editor, ASCS09 : Proceedings of the 9th Conference of the Australasian Society for Cognitive Science. This copy is available for individual, non-commercial use. Permission to reprint/republish this version for other uses must be obtained from the publisher.Keywords
- delusion
- mirrored-self misidentification
- mirror sign
- hypnosis
- instrumental hypnosis